The charms of Venice are experienced while walking its streets and bridges
BY BRINDA GILL; PHOTOGRAPHS: SATYAJIT S GILL
Just get lost – that’s the reply to a query asking the best way of experiencing Venice. It takes a second to realise that the person is being helpful, not discourteous. An explanation follows that in the island city – of no roads or vehicular traffic – it is best to lose oneself without worrying about what to see and where to go. If you really cannot find your way back, then simply orient yourself by looking for the Bell Tower or asking for directions to St Mark’s Square and walk back.
THE GRAND CANAL
These words come to mind as one eagerly settles into a water taxi at the city’s western edge (after arriving there by road or rail) and sets off to St Mark’s Square through the 3.8km long Grand Canal. Likened to the main street of a city, the broad waterway sinuously flows through the city in the form of a reverse S. And as it is lined with impressive buildings, palaces and churches on either side all eyes turn from side to side trying to capture all on a phone or camera!
Cruising through this arterial channel one learns that the origins of Venice go back to the 5th century AD, when the area was a clutch of marshy stretches and people moved here from the mainland to escape invaders. Over time they ingeniously built permanent homes by driving tree trunks into the soft soil on which wooden platforms were affixed and then buildings constructed. The settlement grew and in subsequent centuries Venice emerged as a powerful mercantile city-state.
As land was limited, narrow, multi-level multi-purpose buildings were constructed that had business space on the lower level and residential space above. And as transportation was by water, the main facades faced the Grand Canal and other canals. So it is that flanking the Grand Canal are structures built in the prevailing architectural styles of the time with neat horizontal levels marked by pointed Gothic and round arches gracing the façade; porticoes, loggias, balconies and large windows to bring light and breeze into the indoors; elegant sculpture, quatrefoil openings and frescoes decorating facades; large chimneys at the roof; and a rooftop balcony where women would bleach their hair.
From buildings whose origins go back to the 13th century (identified by corner towers) to the later structures of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements, there are about 170 buildings along the Grand Canal’s sides, each with their individual architectural style and detailing that can be ‘read’ and dated by experts.
Adding to the visual spread are narrow canals on either side offering a glimpse of the depth of the city and of the famous gondolas deftly navigated by gondoliers. As one takes in life on the pulsating channel the boat slips under the iconic Rialto Bridge; rebuilt many times, over the centuries, it was the earliest link connecting the two banks. After cruising a stretch of the canal and a curve, the massive Santa Maria della Salute church (consecrated in 1687 AD) comes into sight to the right against a panoramic backdrop of the lagoon. The boat comes to a halt to the left and one quickly hops of to explore the city that has been the muse of many writers and artists.
CRISS-CROSSING CANALS & STREETS
Quickly walking along a promenade one reaches the soaring Column of Saint Mark surmounted by a winged lion, an impressive symbol of the city, and the Column of Saint Theodore surmounted by a statue of St Theodore. Captivated by their presence, one walks on to the expansive St Mark’s Square edged by graceful colonnades.
The sight pans the space to take in the gorgeous vista of the exotic multi-domed St Mark’s Basilica surfaced with carvings and beautiful gilded mosaics, the soaring 99 metres high Bell Tower, the charming Clock Tower surmounted by two figures striking the hour at a large bell, Caffé Florian-regarded as the oldest café in Europe and the blur of a gentle flight of pigeons across the square.
In this heart of Venice all eyes are on its jewel: the St Mark’s Basilica adorned with resplendent sacred mosaics and sculpture. Taking in its multi-domed exterior, one visits its hallowed interiors infused with sanctity and beauty. And then it is time to take the elevator to the viewing gallery of the Bell Tower for a bird’s eye view of the city, water and islands around. Here you marvel at the evolution of the city as a cluster of 118 islands, criss-crossed by about hundred canals and linked by about 400 bridges!
With a sense of the city, curiosity stirred and a spring in the step one exits the Bell Tower and sets off through the lofty archway of the Clock Tower into Merceria, a street that leads one from St Mark’s Square, the religious and political part of the city, to Rialto, the financial and commercial section of the city. Walking along pavements that offer access to buildings that have water on one or more of its sides, bridges across canals and streets between buildings one slowly slips into the being of the city.
As the walk organically leads one past cafes with delicious treats in the window, boutiques with garments, shops with different types of pasta, souvenir stores and the most colourful of all – stores filled with papier-mâché Venetian masks of every hue, form and detail one surrenders to the charms of the city!
There are sweet surprises along the way – from very narrow streets to unusual carved keystones arches, serene statues and wonderfully carved facades, quiet canals, lovely churches, intimate squares, balconies with flowering plants and shop windows with attractive displays. And along the way, one realises that in this city of 100 sites and counting, it is the act of actually walking that its beauty and uniqueness of being an island and canal city is experienced.
After a couple of hours of enjoying the walk one can head to Rialto Bridge and take in a view of the Grand Canal and shops on the bridge itself. Then it is time to partake local flavour of another kind pausing for a while at a café for a tramezzino sandwich, at a bacaro for light eats and perhaps a Bellini (a refreshing Prosecco cocktail that originated in Venice) or a restaurant for a hearty meal of pasta, seafood and dessert. And well-satiated one can sit back and enjoy a gondola ride experience through canals broad and narrow and into the Grand Canal for a short distance.
The decorative details of the boat, the gondolier handling the single oar effortlessly and at times putting a foot on the building for impetus, the quiet splash of the oar in water, a closer view of the walls and loggia of buildings, the serene shimmering waters of quieter canals, slipping under bridges arching above and the buzz of the Grand Canal offer an experience of the traditional Venetian way of going around the city.
Getting of the gondola one may return via Merceria to St Mark’s Square and head to The Doge’s Palace at the water front. Once the palace of the Duke of Venice, it is now a museum with itineraries taking visitors through its art filled interiors and also the prison. Outside the palace, standing on a bridge, one can glimpse another famous sight of Venice – the long canal below and the Bridge of Sighs above through which prisoners once passed.
And then one drops by the gelateria close by to select a delicious treat, takes in the promenade and the imposing equestrian statue of King Victor Emmanuel II (1887), and strolls down the seafront savouring the gelato, the sea breeze, the views of water and islands, and the sentiment of knowing one has lost one’s heart to Venice.
